Hand brake for railway cars



Nov. 30, 1926. 1,609,069

W. M. DWYER HAND BRAKE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Jan. 30. 1922 42 45 zza-f Patented Nov. 30, 1926.

UNITED STATES` WILLIAM M. DWYER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR,

MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0

W. H. MINER, INC., A CORPORATION GF DELAWARE.

HAND BRAKE FOR RAILWAY CARS.

Application filed January 30, 1922. Serial No. 532,653.`

This invention relates to improvements in hand brakes for railway cars.

It is well known to those skilled in the art, that hand brakes on railway cars do not always move to fully released position when the brakes are released in the ordinary manner, this being due, sometimes, to bending oi the brake staff or bulging of the car ends which imposes friction suliicient to prevent the brake shoes fully releasing from the wheels., bviously, where the brake shoes are not fully disengaged' from the wheels, the car oii'ers greater resistance to movement consequently imposing additional burden upon the locomotive and in addition causing faster wearing'of the wheels and brake shoes.

One object of my invention is to provide a hand brake arrangement for freight cars such that, when the brake is released, the brake staff or other chain-tightening member will be: lett entirely free to gradually allow the brake shoes to fully clear themselves from the wheels even though the stad may bind at the time the brake is released by the brakeman.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a novel type of gravity pawl operating handle and mounting therefor and to generally improve the efficiency of a ratchet type of hand brake for verticalbrake staffs.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a top plan View of a hand bra-ke showing my improvements in connection therewith. The brake shown in this ligure is ot the vertical statt' type. rlhe 'full and dotted line positions of the operating handle are shown to illustrate the manner of oscillating the handle to effect the winding or tightening of the chain. The locking dog and release lever associated therewith are shown in full and dotted positions. Figure 2 is a side elevation of the structure illustrated in Figure 1, the release lever however being shown in the position .assumed when the locking dog is held out oit engagement with the ratchet wheel. Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view showing somewhat different embodiment of the invention. n

In said drawing, 10 indicates the yupper portion of a vertical brake statt, the extreme upper end of which is made ot noncircular cross section, preferably square and has secured thereto a ratchet wheel 11.V

dentally.

Above and below the ratchet wheel, the square section of the stall has suitable bushings appliedthereto which provide bearings tor an oscillating housing or carrier 12. As will be evident the' carrier is adapted to oscillate in a plane perpendicular to the stati' as now well known in this art. `The lower end of the carrier 12 is rotatable in a suitable bearing provided in the lower flange 13 of a supporting` bracket 14 which is riveted to the car wall 15.V Said bracket 14 is extended outwardly so as to partially enclose the carrier 12 and with the latter provide a housing for the ratchet wheel and parts associated therewith. plate 16 is applied to the top of the bracket and held in position by a through bolt 17.

The housing 12 is laterally extended, the lateral extension being defined by side walls 18 and 19, outer wall 20, upwardly curved top wall 2l and bottom wall 22. Pivotally mounted within the laterally extended portion of the housing is the operating handle or lever 23 which has preferably a pawl or tooth 2li integrally formed therewith, the latter being adapted to engage successively with the teeth ot the ratchet wheel 11. The operating handle. 23 swings in a vertical plane from a vertical inoperative position to a horizontal operative position, as shown in Figure 2. lVhen in the horizontal position, the pawl or tooth 9A is adapted to engage with the ratchet teeth by swinging the lever 23 or oscillating it in ai horizontal plane as indicated `in Figure 1. rlhe coinbined movements vof the lever 23 are made possible by a pivot pin 25 which is entered through an opening 26 in the wall 19 and driven with a tight iit tl rough a corresponding opening of the lever 23. The metal around the edge of the opening 9.6 may he hammered over as indicated at 26ZL so as to prevent the pin 25 .from coming out accihe interior or" the lateral extension ot the carrier is so formed as to permit the pin 25 `to oscillate in a horizontal vplane on'the bottom wall 22 and also to allow thel handle to turn on said pivot pin when moving in a vertical plane. As will be undostood by those skilled in the art, the end-wall '2O and bottom wall 22 will be suitably cut away to allow for the necessary movements of the lever 28. f

To hold the staff against rotation in an unwinding direction and to maintain` the A top or cap lll) brake chain taut, I employ a locking' dog designated generally by the reference A. Said locking dog is in the form of a lever pivoted on the bolt 17 near the bottom of the bracket 14, saidv dog A having a single tooth 27 engageable with the teeth ot the ratchet wheel 11. Said toothed Vend of the dog is normally influenced to operative position by means of a. relatively heavy spring E28 which is interposed between the back side ot the tooth and av portion of the bracket 1l.

On the opposite side of the pivot, the dog A has a handle 29, the outer end of which is curved backwardly toward the wall ot the car as indicated at 29a.

Cooperable with the dog A is a release lever B. The latter is pivoted to a laterally extended flange portion on the bottom of the bracket la as by the bolt 30. Said release lever B has a relatively elongated handle proper 31 which, in release position, extends preferably parallel tothe ear wall and, 'in operative position, extends outwardly approximately perpendicular to the car wall. Near its point of pivotal support, the release lever B is provided with a cam shaped enlargement 32 which moves in the plane ot the handle of the dog A and is adapted to engage the latter to release the dog tooth 2'? when the release lever B is` swung to the dotted line position shown in Figure 1.

The cam section 32 of the release lever B and the cooperating` bearing portions of the dog A are so related that, not only will the dog be disengaged from the ratchet wheel but will be held so disengaged or locked when the release lever B is lett in the dotted line position shown in Figure l. Vith this arrangement, when the brake is released in the ordinary manner, the stad is lett tree and should there be any binding of the parts, leaving` the brake shoes in contact with the wheels, nevertheless the stalll or other parts which are rictionally bound are tree to jar themselves completely loose as soon as the ear starts moving. Hence, l am enable to eliminate all drag of the brake 'shoes on the wheels. It will also be observed that the release lever B enables me to apply much greater pressure than customary in effecting the disengagement of the locking dog' and this in turn allows me to employ a much heavier spring 28 to insure the dog' remaining in operative engagement with the ratchet wheel during the tightening of the brake chain.

Referring to Figure 2, it will be noted that the handle of the release lever B is upwardly otl'set so as to lie in the path of movement of the carrier 12 when it is oscillated toward the release lever. rlhis is done so that, as the brakeman starts to tighten up the chain, when the release lever B has been left in its dotted line position shown in Figure 1, he will necessarily push the release lever B so as to allow the dog A to cooperate with the ratchet wheel and thus eliminate useless work on the part o1 the brakeman which might otherwise occur it he did not happen to pay attention to the condition el the locking dog and release lever prior to starting the application ot the brakes.

Referring to the construction shown in Figure '3, the arrangement ot carrier, stati' and ratchet wheel is the same as shown in the other two g'ures ot the drawing. ln the construction of Figure 3 the hand lever 123 is pivotally attached to the carrier 112 bv a bolt ada ating the hand lever to sums" f vertically. The upper or inner end et tire lever 123 is provided with a longitudinalljyv extending socket Ll() which is open at its end facing the ratchet wheel. the socket is rounded as indicated at l1 to provide a pivotal bearing tor a pawl 'l2-t which is adapted to cooperate with the ratchet wheel 111. The pawl 1211 is 'formed with a flat tace 42 which is adapted to bear against a corresponding flat face 13 ot the handle when the pawl is engaged with the ratchet wheel. l/Jith this construction, it is impossible for the tooth of the pawl to slip out from between the teeth or' the ratchet wheel regardless ot the pressure which may be applied to the tooth and which is a di'ticulty sometimes encountered in other typ-es of ratchet hand brakes when the tension on the chain becomes very great. The pawl 124 is adapted to oscillate sutlieiently to slip over the ratchet teeth against the action ot' a compression spring 44 which is interposedL between said pawl and the opposite wall ot the handle.

l claim l. ln a hand brake, the combination w i -a vertical statil having a ratchet wheel rotatable in unison therewith; ot a carrier oscillatably mounted on said stati?, said carrier having a gravity drop handle supper d therefrom, said handle being provided wird a pawl cooperable with said ratchet wheel; or" a spring-influenced pivotally mounted locking dog cooperable with said ratchef` wheel; and a release lever cooper-able with said dog to move the dog to inoperative position and retain the latter in such position, said release lever having a portion thereot disposed in the path ot movement ot said carrier whereby oscillation ot the latter will cause it to aetuate the release lever and restore the locking dog to operative condition.

2. In a hand brake, the combination with a vertical staff having a ratchet wheel rotatable therewith; of a carrier oscillatably mounted on said statt` in the plane ot the ratchet wheel; a gravity drop handle pivotally mounted on said carrier and provided with a pawl rigid therewith cooperable with said ratchet wheel, said handle being pivot- The inner end oil Y ally connected to said car'ier by a pivot pin rigid with the handle, said handle and pivot pin being also oscillatable on the car` rier in a plane iiierpendicular to the staff; and means for locking said stall against accidental rotation in an unwinding direction.

8. In a hand brake, the combination with a vertical brake steli' having a ratchet Wheel rotatable therewith; of means for preventing rotation of said staff in an unwinding direction; a carrier oscillatably mounted on said stati in the plane of the ratchet Wheel, said carrier having a laterally extended hollow housing; an operating handle having an integral pawl tooth; and a pivot pin eze tending through said handle and disposed Within said laterally extended holloiv housinp' of the carrier, said pivot pin being osl cillatable with respect to the carrier in a plane perpendicular to the stati and also rotatable about an axis in said plane to allonT the handle to fall under the influence of gravity to an inoperative position.

4l. In a hand brake, the combination. with a member adapted to be rotated to etl'ect tightening oit a brake chain; of a ratchet Wheel rotatable With Said'member; a pivoted locking dog (3o-operable with said ratchet wheel, said dog being normally urged to operable position and having an extension thereon; and means in the form ot a lever movable in the same direction as said extension, and provided With means tor moving the same to, and locking the same in released position.

5. In a hand brake, the combination With the Wall of a car; of a member adapted to etlect tightening' of a brake chain; et a ratchet Wheel rotatable With said member; a pivoted locking dog co-operable with said ratchet Wheel, said dog being` normally urged to operative position and having a handle disposed adjacent said Wall and movable away trom the same to disconnect said dog; and a lever pivotally mounted between said ivall and said handle and provided With cam means adapted upon movement of said lever away trom said Wall to co-act With said handle to release said dog and maintain the saine in locked position.

6. In a hand brake, the combination with a member adapted to be rotated to effect tightening o1c a brake chain; oit a ratchet Wheel rotatable With said member; a pivoted locking dog co-operable With said ratchet Wheel.

7. In a hand brake, the combination Wit-h i a member adapted to be rotated to e'lect tightening of a brake chain; of a ratchet Wheel rotatable With said member; a pivoted locking dog co-operable With said ratchet Wheel, said dog being normally urged to operative position and provided With a handle; and a lever for operating said dog to retract the same, said lever being provided with cam means arranged in the plane of said handle, said lever being otl'set to clear said handle.

8. In a hand brake mecham'sm, the combination With a member adapted to be rotated to etlect tightening of a brake chain; oi a ratchet Wheel rotatable with said member; a pivoted locking dog co-operating` With said ratchet Wheel7 said dog being normally urged to operative position and having a handle movable in one direction to release said dog; and means including a lever pivotally mounted at the side ot the lever opposite to its direction of movement., and including means tor moving said handle to retracted position upon operation ot said lever, said lever when in inoperative position permitting operation of said dog by said handle.

9. In a hand brake7 the combination with a vertical statt having a ratchet Wheel rotatable therewiti; of a carrier oscillatably mounted on said stall in the plane of the ratchet Wheel; a gravity drop handle pivotally mounted on said carrier and provided With a pawl co-operable with said ratchet Wheel; a pivoted locking dog cov-operable with said ratchet Wheel, said dog` having a handle; and a manually operable release lever, said release lever being movable in the same direction as said handle and including cam means adapted to be interposed between said release lever and the handle ot said .locking dog.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this l? th day ot January, 1922.

WILLIAM M. Divvnn. 

